India may be divided broadly into five physical units

as follows:

➢The Great Mountains of the North.

➢The North Indian Plains.
➢The Peninsular Plateau.
➢The Coastal Plains.
➢The Islands.
From Pamir Plateau in
the west to the Indo-
Myanmar border in the
east, there is a chain of
mountains. They stretch
uninterruptedly almost
for about 3,600 km and
form an arc. The width
of this mountain belt
varies between 150 and
400 km.
A. Himalaya mountain range is divided into
three parts.

(i) Greater Himalaya or Himadri

(ii) It is the highest range of the
Himalayas with a width of 120 km-
190 km And Average height 6000 m.
(iii) Mount Everest or Sagarmatha (8848
m) is its highest peak.
(iv) The highest peak of the Himalayas in
India is Kanchenjunga, which borders
Sikkim and Nepal.
(v) Mount K2 (Godwin Austin) is India's
highest mountain peak. It is in the
Karakoram category.
(vi) Shipkila, Zojila, Nitila, Lipulekhla,
Thagla and Nathula Pass are located
in this region.
B. Middle Himalaya or Himachal
Range
1. Its extension is mainly in the southern
region of the Himalayas.
2. Its average height is 3700 m-4500 m.
3. Width 80 to 100 km.
4. Pirpanjal, Dhauladhar, Nagatibba,
Mahabharata etc. ranges and Kashmir,
Kathmandu, Kangra and Kullu valleys
are in this category.
5. Shimla, Mussoorie, Nainital, Chakrata,
Darjeeling and Rana are important
tourist destinations in this category.
6. Small grasslands are found on its
slope, which are called Marg (eg-
Gulmarg, Sonamarg) in Kashmir and
Bugyal or Pyar in Uttarakhand.
C. Shivalik or Lesser Himalayas
1. It is the southernmost range of the
Himalayas and its width is from 10–15
km and AVG height from 900–1200 m.
2. It is a new part of the Himalayas.
3. It consists of high plains made of clay
and pebbles which are called Doon
(Dehradun) in the west and Dwar
(Haridwar) in the east.
4. The lower part of Shivalik is called Terai,
which is a marshy forested area.
5. The Burjil Pass connects Srinagar to
Gilgit. Whereas the pass connecting
Srinagar to Leh is named Zojila Pass
located in the Zaskar Range.
6. Shipkila Pass connects Shimla to
Tibet. The route from Bomdila
(Arunachal Pradesh) to Tibet via Tawang
Valley.
7. The Tuju Pass is located in Manipur,
passing through the route to Myanmar.
To the south of the
Great Mountains of the
north, there is a vast
plain extending over
2,500 km
approximately from the
Satluj in the west to the
Brahmaputra in the
east. It is made up of
the alluvium brought by
the Indus, the Ganga
and the Brahmaputra
and their tributaries.
This fertile plain has been formed due to the
accumulation of soil brought by the rivers
coming from the Himalayas and Peninsular
India.
This ground is mainly divided into four parts on
the basis of soil characteristics.
(i) Bhabar region: It is made up of deposits of
gravel brought by rivers originating from the
Himalayas. It is also called the alluvial wing of
Shivalik.
(ii) Terai region: Due to high humidity, the land
here is marshy. It is a low level plain where the
water of rivers flows and forms marshy
areas. It is situated to the south of the Bhabar
region.
(iii) Khadar region: It is also known as 'Kachari
Plains' or 'flood plain'. It is a new alluvial
plain. It was also constructed as a delta plain,
such as the Ganges-Brahmaputra plain.
(iv) Bangar region: It is made up of old
alluvium, which is the higher part. Flood water
does not reach here, like the Ganga-Yamuna
Doab and the Sutlej Plain.
To the south of the
North Indian Plains
lies the Peninsular
Plateau. It is made
of hard igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
It is the oldest part
of India.
This part of ancient Gondwanaland, which is
triangular in shape, is called the Peninsular
Plateau. Its height is from 600 to 900 m.
The valleys of Narmada and Tapti rivers have
divided this plateau state into two unequal
parts. The northern part is called the Malwa
plateau and the southern part is called the
main plateau or Deccan trap in the south.

Malwa Plateau
This plateau is spread in a triangular shape to
the north-west of the Narmada and Tapti
rivers and the Vindhyachal mountain. To its
north-west lies the Aravali mountain and to
the north-east the Gangetic plain.
The rivers of this plateau flow in the northeast
direction and join the Yamuna River.
The Deccan Plateau is flanked by
coastal plains on both sides. The
western coastal plain is broadest in
the north and includes the plain of
Gujarat as well. It narrows down
towards south. To the south of
Gujarat, it is known as the Konkan
coast. The southern part of the coast
is known as the Malabar Coast.
The eastern coastal plain is wider and
more levelled than the western coast.
In the north this plain merges with
the plains of the Ganga-Brahmaputra
delta. The northern part of this coast
is known as northern Circar and the
southern part as Coromandel coast.
Western Coastal Plain: This plain is spread
between Gujarat to Kanyakumari between the
Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea
coast. From Mumbai to Goa, this region is
called Konkan coast, central part is Kannada
and south part is Malabar coast. The Cochin
port on the Malabar coast is located on the
lagoon. This coast is more dentratic. For this
reason the number of ports on this coast is
high.

East Coast Plains: This plain extends from the

mouth of the Ganges in the north of the
Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal to
Kanyakumari in the south.
This plain is highly fertile due to its formation
by the deltas of Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna
and Kaveri rivers.
It is called the northern circar coast between
Mahanadi and Krishna rivers and the
Coromandel coast between Krishna and Kaveri
rivers.
Many lagoon lakes are found on the banks of
this plain, among which Chilika Lake and Pulicat
Lake are prominent.
To the west of the
Kerala coast, there is a
cluster of numerous
small islands. They are
collectively known as
the Lakshadweep
islands. They are of
local origin. The
Andaman and Nicobar
islands are located in
the Bay of Bengal.
They are bigger in
size.
There are 1256 islands under the sea
border of India. They are mainly in
two groups.
Which are as follows
(i) Islands of Bay of Bengal: It consists
of about 572 islands. It is known as
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The
islands are divided by 10 ° channels
into two parts. India's only active
volcano 'Barren' is in this island
group. The Indira Point, India's
southernmost point, is located in
Great Nicobar.
(ii) Arabian Sea Group: There are 47
islands in this group. It has three main
islands - Lakshadweep, Minicoy and
Kavaratti. Minicoy is the largest island
in the Lakshadweep group.
The 8 ° channel separates Maldives
and Minicoy.
The 9 ° channel separates
Lakshadweep and Minicoy.
The Grand Channel separates
Indonesia and India.
1. Kolleru Lake – Andhra Pradesh
The largest lake in India.
Located between Krishna and Godavari delta.

2. Sambhar Lake – Rajasthan

India’s largest inland salt lake.
Mahabharata mentions the Sambhar Lake as part of the kingdom of the demon king Brishparva.

3. Pushkar Lake – Rajasthan

Located in the town of Pushkar in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan.
Pushkar Lake is a sacred lake of the Hindus.
Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the waters of the lake during the festival of Kartika
Poornima in November.

4. Lonar Lake- Maharashtra

The Lonar lake was formed 50,000 years ago after a meteorite hit the Earth.
Recently, the color of Lonar lake turned pink overnight, and hence, this news has been in the
news.
Some experts suggest that the pink color might be due to the presence of algae and a low level of
water.
5. Pulicat Lake- Andhra Pradesh
Second largest brackish–water lake or lagoon in India.
The large spindle-shaped barrier island named Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of
Bengal.
The island is home to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, the launch site of India’s successful first
lunar space mission, the Chandrayaan-1.

6. Loktak Lake -Manipur

The largest freshwater lake in North-East India
KeibulLamjao the only floating national park in the world floats over it, which is the last natural
refuge of the endangered sangai or Manipur brow-antlered deer.
It is designated a wetland of international importance under Ramsar Convention in 1990.

7. Sasthamcotta Lake – Kerala

The largest freshwater lake in Kerala.
The purity of the lake water for drinking use is attributed to the presence of a large population of
larva called cavaborus that consumes bacteria in the lake water.
8. Vembanad Lake -Kerala
The longest lake in India, and the largest lake in the state of Kerala.
The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is conducted in a portion of the lake

9. Chilka Lake -Odisha

It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world.
Chilika Lake is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds, on the Indian sub-continent.
It is a brackish water coastal lake

10. Dal Lake – Jammu Kashmir

Dal Lake is a lake in Srinagar that is integral to tourism and known as the “Jewel in the crown of
Kashmir” or “Srinagar’s Jewel”.
Asia’s largest Tulip garden is on the banks of Dal Lake.
Mughal gardens, Shalimar Bagh and the NishatBagh are on the banks of Dal Lake.

11. Nalsarover Lake- Gujarat

The lake – Nalsarovar – and the wetlands around it were declared a bird sanctuary in 1969.

12. Tsomgo Lake – Sikkim

Tsongmo Lake or Changu Lake is a glacial lake in East Sikkim.
The lake is the venue for the Guru Purnima festival in which Jhakris of Sikkim assemble at the lake
area to derive benefits from the healing qualities of the lake waters.
13. Bhimtal Lake – Uttarakhand
It is the largest lake in Kumaon region, known as the “lake district of India”.
It is a “C” shaped lake.

14. Barapani Lake- Meghalaya

Barapani or Umiam Lake is in Shillong.
The origin of Lake in 1965 is due to the UmiamUmtru Hydro Electric Power Project, the first Hydel
power project in the Northeast region of India.

15. Nainital Lake – Uttarakhand

Kidney-shaped or crescent-shaped.
Situated in the Nainital district called the Lake District of India.

16. Periyar Lake -Kerala

Periyar Lake is formed by the construction of the dam across the Mullaperiyar River in 1895.
The notable elephant reserve and a tiger reserve, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the
banks of Periyar lake.
17. Hussain Sagar Lake – Telengana
The lake is in Hyderabad, built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali in 1562, during the rule of Ibrahim
QuliQutub Shah.
Connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
A major attraction at the Hussain Sagar is the 16 meters high, 350 tonnes monolithic Buddha
statue on the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ installed at the center of the lake.

18. Salim Ali Lake – Maharashtra

It has been renamed after the great ornithologist, naturalist Salim Ali and also known as the
birdman of India.
Salim Ali Sarovar (lake) popularly known as Salim Ali Talab is located near Delhi Gate, opposite
HimayatBagh, Aurangabad.

19. Kanwar Lake- Bihar

The KanwarTaal or KabarTaal Lake is Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake.

20. Nakki Lake – Rajasthan

‘Nakki Lake is situated in the Indian hill station of Mount Abu in Aravalli range.
Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed in this Holy Lake on 12 February 1948 and Gandhi Ghat
was constructed.
21. Bhojtar Lake- Madhya Pradesh
Also known as Upper Lake lies on the western side of the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal.
Largest artificial lake in Asia.

22. Wular Lake – Jammu Kashmir

Largest Freshwater Lake in India.
Lake Basin was formed as a result of tectonic activity and is fed by the Jhelum River

23. Ashtamudi Lake

It is a lagoon in the Kollam district of Kerala.
It has been registered as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

24. Pulicat Lake

It is the second-largest brackish water lake on the Coromandel Coast.
It lies on the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal